Fall is not just a Season
1 Samuel 2:12-26
Welcome back everyone hope you all had a nice summer break. This morning I want to look at a Season of the year that can also become for us a season that turns into a spiritual condition.
FALL - soon it will be upon us and as some of you may be familiar with the Canadian Tire commercial that depicts the reaction of many in Canada to this time of year. The ad shows a man sitting in his hammock enjoying the warm summer breeze when suddenly a leaf from the tree he is under begins to fall to the ground. In absolute horror the man lets out a scream that echo’s across the neighborhood. It’s a funny little commercial but it is also powerful in reminding us that the season does indeed change.
Well much may have changed while we have been away this summer. We are excited and rejoice with the Strevels at the change in their family, a new baby. Mike and Tracey are proud new parents of a baby girl (Julia Diane) born August 13, 2008. We pray God’s richest blessing on them and their family with this new addition.
While we have been closed for August we have had an opportunity to have new carpet installed and we thank those who removed the pews and then put them back in our new and improved sanctuary. Little by little we see changes in our life as a church. These changes are reflected in our lives in the church as a building and in our church as a family.
Fall seems to creep up on us it comes almost unexpectedly. Maybe you can remember a time in your life when you too experienced and unexpected fall. For me it happened when I was a young police officer. I had just received my new uniform and I was asked to bring a fist full of papers to the Justice of the Peace. It was a short walk from the police station to the JP’s office.
I would be walking right downtown past all the businesses and business men of the community. I wanted to be sure they saw me in my new uniform and I wanted to be sure they knew how important I was. So I walked very fast to suggest my trip was urgent. As I walked I could not help but admire myself in the windows of the passing stores.
I looked good in my new uniform all dressed up as a Police Officer. Just as I was taking pride in my new appearance and new responsibility a large double parking meter hit me in the chest. I was so busy admiring myself I didn’t see the parking meter until it was too late.
The next thing I saw was my two feet level with my eyes. I was in the air FALLING with all the important papers coming down all around me as if they were mocking me. The store owners had been out to sweep their sidewalks all saw me tumble to the ground. My pride turned into shame since I knew it was my pride and vanity that brought me down.
Today’s scripture passage reminds us to be careful of FALL. Not so much the season but the condition of falling away from the Lord. You see even Pastors need to be very careful of this condition of falling. Just like anyone else they too are susceptible to sin and our human condition. Church leaders too need to guard their lives against such falls.
Eli was a Priest in God’s service and Eli’s sons were to continue that service until they fell. You see Eli was an excellent Priest but a lousy parent. He lived a good life before God and the community but he did not correct or discipline his two sons when it was needed. This all came back to fall on his shoulders and the repercussions were devastating to Eli and his family.
The boys were to follow in their fathers footsteps. In these Old Testament times the family line formed the Priesthood and Eli was to be that family line until his sons proved unworthy. The bible says in 1 Samuel 2:12 Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord.
How do these things happen to people who are supposed to be faithful followers of God? Well they fall, and just like that Canadian Tire commercial they should let out a scream as they see themselves falling but many do not they just fall without responding to their condition. Well what brings this kind of thing on us?
Many of you probably know they old saying "Pride comes before a fall". Well the correct reading of that saying is found in Proverbs 16: 17, 18 & 19.
17 The highway of the upright avoids evil;
he who guards his way guards his life.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed
than to share plunder with the proud.
Elis sons were taking all they could as a result of their favored status. They took advantage of their father’s good name in the community and they took advantage of the position they were entrusted with that came through their father and not through themselves. They were Priests only because their dad was too. But they were nothing like their dad.
They took a portion of the people’s offerings which was allowed but they changed the rules. They took their portion before it was cooked which was not allowed. The fat and blood were to be part of the sacrifice to God but they robbed God and God’s people. They also slept around with the women who served at the Tent of Meeting. They made themselves a harem of the women who were to serve God at the tent of meeting.
Eli scolded them but he did not punish them. He could have removed them from their duties and made them step down but he did not. Eli turned a blind eye to the sins of his children. Eli did all this while keeping his position as Priest before the people. God decide that enough was enough and Eli’s sons would die.
In fact many Israelites would die as they went out to face their old enemies the Philistines. God’s people were being led by leaders who were not walking with God. The result is there would be consequences for everyone. The Ark of the Covenant would be lost for a time and God would see to it that Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas died in battle.
Eli hearing the news of his sons fell back on his chair and died. God will not tolerate sin that goes unconfused and unrepented by his Priests and leaders. God expects us to correct and discipline our children. We are to do it in love not harshness in order to bring them back into a right relationship with us and God.
Let us not get too proud in the coming days, let us be thankful yet humble for all God is blessing us with and let us remember to hold our leaders to a higher standard since they serve us before God. We all need to keep guard on our spiritual lives since we can all so easily fall. Remember that God has a plan for our lives but we need to be faithful to Him in order to see the blessings of it.
God would replace Eli with Samuel remember him the little boy who heard God’s voice? Let us be like Samuel with a childlike faith trusting Gods voice and obeying His call in order to avoid the fall of our sins.
